August 8 may be months away but Queensland Roar are already itching to take on Hyundai A-League newcomers Gold Coast United in the Round 1 blockbuster at Suncorp Stadium.
Gold Coast has entered the league with plenty of fanfare, most notably billionaire owner Clive Palmer’s declaration that his side will go through the season undefeated, and the local derby will almost certainly be a spirited one.
The banter started to fly long ago but Roar defender Luke DeVere resisted the temptation to further stir the pot on Thursday.
But DeVere was sure the whole club was already hotly anticipating the clash.
“Obviously for us it’s our first home game and it’s going to be a derby, so it’s going to be a massive game and we’re all looking forward to it,” DeVere said.
“Everyone’s really excited to go out there and do a good job and try and perform and hopefully get a win against the Gold Coast first up.”
DeVere, who will spend a large portion of the preseason and season proper away with the Young Socceroos, believed the Roar would benefit from the addition of both Gold Coast and the North Queensland Fury.
“Derbies are a big thing in any country and any league, and it’s no different in this one,” he said.
“We’re looking forward to it and excited about it, I’m sure there will be some great games against Townsville and Gold Coast.”
DeVere was a part of the squad that qualified for the upcoming FIFA U-20 World Cup in October, along with fellow young guns Mitch Nichols, Isaka Cernak and Tommy Oar.
DeVere’s preseason training with the Roar will be interrupted when the centre back travels with the Young Socceroos to Europe where the side will take on big-name clubs such as Liverpool and PSV Eindhoven in preparation for the World Cup.
The 19-year-old admitted the trip would disrupt his preparations for the 2009/10 Hyundai A-League season, but was confident the experience gained would prove to be more than just silver lining.
“I think if anything it’ll probably help us in a sense,” he said.
“We’re going over there to work pretty hard, train every day with them and play some pretty good quality games.”
